Check it out… Best Things New York ranked us #4 in NYS Skate Shops. Phatman Boardshop has been providing Buffalo and the Western New York area with skateboarding necessities since 1994. From larger brands you know to new, smaller companies that are bringing an entire new vision and creativity to skateboarding. We are always updating our inventory, our shoes and skateboarding accessories. Come on in to see the selection.

Help build the Alix Rice Memorial Peace Park by purchasing a personalized brick with your name or business name on it! The park will have a 4 foot retaining wall, which will display 2,000 personalized memorial bricks detailing all the individuals and businesses that have contributed to the construction of the park.

For the Sponsor and Donation Response form, please click here to download the donation form. Please return the completed form to the Alix Rice Peace Park Foundation with payment and filled out information.

We cannot wait to finally break ground for the building of the park and provide a west coast-style skatepark to the Western New York area.

Bricks can be purchased at the shop which is located at 2889 Sheridan Drive in Tonawanda, NY. For more information on the Alix Rice Peace Park and purchasing a donation brick, please call the shop at 716-837-8743.

On Sunday, March 26th, there will be an Alix Rice Memorial Skatepark Fundraiser at the Main-Transit Firehall in Williamsville. The Fundraiser will offer a Chinese Auction, Silent Auction, 50/50 Raffle, Food, Music and Door Prizes. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased in the shop with CASH only or online with Credit/Debit card.

This fundraiser will help maintain the Alix Rice Skatepark and keep it skateable all year long….kidding, that’s impossible. We live in Buffalo, it snows here so let’s temper expectations. It will be skateable at least 8 months out of the year. 9 months if you decide to brave the elements.

Do your part and contribute to the skatepark you’ll be hucking yourself around in. See you all on March 26th. Call the shop for details. 716-837-8743.

Yes, you read that correctly. After years of litigation, exhausting all resources, and some honest blood, sweat, and tears, the Alix Rice Memorial Skatepark will begin construction in April or May.

The final design of the park will be presented at an Alix Rice Memorial Skatepark Fundraiser on March 26th over at the Main-Transit Firehall.

We are beyond excited to finally have the Alix Rice Memorial Skatepark built. The location of the park will be right next to the Northtown Center in Amherst, across from UB’s North Campus on Millersport Highway. The park will be a great addition to the number of outdoor FREE skateparks that have been and are being built in Buffalo.

The Alix Rice Memorial Skatepark will feature two bowls and a street section. It’ll be the first skatepark that will offer a West Coast construction to it.

We just got in some new Vans. The Kyle Walker Pro and the 112. The Kyle Walker Pro has wafflecup technology to help support your feet while keeping the reputable boardfeel that Vans is known for. Super durable shoe with excellent cushioning and support.

The Style 112 is Vans take on the current trend of toe cap shoes. There’s not too much rubber on the toe but enough to provide durability and protection. Duracap technology on the toe, original waffle sole, and Vans Vulc Lite construction. Get on it.

An argument that has been hotly contested as much as is a hot dog a sandwich? Who really was JFK’s assassin? Did Yoko break up the Beatles? Is it considered blasphemy to eat pizza with a knife and a fork?

All of these questions have typically two sides. Much like the bipartisanship of skate shoes. Vulcanzied or Cupsole. Both equally represented by skaters but usually different in pricing and the manufacturing process. If you understand the conceptual difference between cupsole and vulc, then this article means nothing to you unless it’s a rainy day and you’ve somehow stumbled upon this blog. If that’s the case, crack open that tall boy of cheap beer you got by your side and enjoy the next three and a half minutes of scholastic writing.

If you actually are here to learn about the difference between vulc and cupshole shoes, then prepare yourself for a complete miseducation of the subject.

Vulcanized Shoes

Vulcanized Shoes are:

Better boardfeel

Easy to break in

Insole makes the difference

Less expensive

Now to fully explain what vulcanized shoes are, you have to imagine yourself in a hot, steamy factory in the middle of the Guangdong province in China (and that’s not a dig at China, they just happen to have the world’s largest population thus leading to a comparative advantage in human labor intensity, thanks college). Moving on, vulcanized shoes are twice baked, like your mother’s potatoes she makes whenever steak is being served. The rubber outsole of the shoes is assembled onto the typically heat-resistant upper part before the rubber is completely cured. The first baking takes place before the assembly and the second ‘steam baking’ takes place after assembly to ensure a tough, durable yet easy to break in shoe.

Vans Rowley Solos. Example of a Vulcanized shoe.

The important part to remember here is that many of the materials have to heat resistant, so that means no foam material such as EVA (Ethylene-vinyl acetate) or TPR (Thermoplastic rubber). These kind of materials, however, you will find in cupsole shoes. Since vulcanized shoes are much easier to make, thus leading to mass production (if economies of scale exists…if you don’t understand what economies of scale means, check out microeconomics, it’s essentially the reason why the american economy became so fucking dominant) and a much cheaper price than you would pay for a pair of cupsole skate shoes. Additionally, since vulcanized shoes do not typically have EVA or TPR in them, which act as a cushioning agent, the insole of the shoe is going to be the most important. That’s why you’ll see Vans offering the Ultracush, Ultracush HD, and Ultracush Lite, which offer those pretty little feet of yours some protection when you’re hucking yourself down a ten stair. Footprint Insoles, which just creates insoles for both skate shoes and snowboard boots, found a niche market for people who wanted something more of out of their insoles for both vulc and cupsole shoes (just rip the liner out of the cupsole and you can put in one of their insoles).

So what does all of this mean for skating in vulc shoes? To make it simple and because I’m sick of typing already, it gives you a better boardfeel overall, quicker and easier time to break in the shoes, option to replace the insoles (most of the time), and usually a lower price tag which is easier on your wallet. Also, if you’re concerned about protection (I’m not, was raised Catholic but that’s neither here nor there), don’t go looking to vulcanized shoes for it. They usually have minimal padding which can lead to blowouts in the shoe but companies have been inserting second layers into toe caps to combat this.

If what was just written about vulc shoes tickles your fancy, then we’d recommend going down the road of Vans, Lakai (Selects), Emerica (Vulcs), Nike SB (Janoskis) and Adidas (Vulcs).

Cupsole Shoes

Think comfort. Think nestling yourself between two giant, all natural, warm and supporting…pillows. Could’ve turned this article into something your aunt reads on vacation but for time being, we’ll stick to cupsoles.

Cupsole Shoes are:

Supportive

Protective

Harder to break in

Offer less boardfeel

More expensive

Cupsoles are special. Special in the sense, they were specifically designed for skateboarding. Skaters complained they kept getting heel bruises, designers listened, and voila, cupsole is born. Creating a cupsole is a lot like making pizza, put a solid layer down first, then some cushion and then finally a rubber layer sprinkling. Cupsoles, as mentioned previously, use EVA or TPR as a cushioning foam that is placed inside a rubber ‘cup’. The rubber ‘cup’ is traditionally bigger and filled with the EVA or TPR foam which gives more space between you and your board but more support to your foot and ankle.

What’s getting baked though? Am I baked? Why so many food metaphors? Cupsoles don’t get baked. This is mentioned before if you were reading carefully. Cupsoles are traditionally stitched to the top part of the shoe. Since there is no baking, companies can puts all sorts of technology and goodies into the cupsole before it is sewn to the upper portion. This is why you’ll see things like airbags, arch support, heel support, and any support you need besides financial and emotional in the cupsole. Moreover, the ability to put all this feet saving tech into a pair of shoes is why cupsole shoes are the preferred shoe amongst folks who jump down giant shit. Would you rather tie paper bags to your feet when you’re about to drop 15 feet in the air or foam reinforced bubble wrap? I’d go the latter but I’m a firm believer in libertarianism so you can choose whatever makes you sleep at night.

Nike SB Koston 1 – Example of a Cupsole shoe.

Why do you cupsole shoes make the most sense to you? If you’re down for big stair sets, huge rails, and overall man-sized shit. Recommendations? Emerica was pretty much founded on cupsole technology, so getting a pair of those is always a solid move. Lakais with XLK or VLK technology (click the link to learn more about that, I’m not typing it, that’s plagiarism, and you should always be learning something new everyday). Nike SB’s such as P-Rod 9, Koston 1 and 2 (not the vulc), Adidas Busenitz, and any Vans Crocketts (Waffle Cup technology, again, look it up, it’s like a hybrid of vulc and cupsole).

I hope this article has answered some questions regarding the vulcanized vs. cupsole argument. Pick one side, or pick both, it doesn’t really matter. If you’re old and over the age of 30, I’d recommend cupsole. Why? Because your knees and ankles are on the brink of collapsing and cupsoles may prolong the inevitable demise of your lower body joints. You under the age of 25 and slightly healthy? Go vulc for the reasons of it’s easier on your bank account and your body can take the abuse. Or if you want to be a big spender and spring for a nice pair of P-Rods, go for it, I’m not one to judge.

Fortunately, here at the shop, we have an extensive selection (90+) of shoes that are vulc, cupsole and hybrids so you can come in and find the pair that’s right for you. Remember, buy a pair get the next pair half off. Questions? Call us at 716-837-8743.

Ask and you shall receive. New Phatman buffalo logo decks are in! We got you covered for all sizes. From 7.75 to 8.5. They are priced at $40 and come in a variety of colors. Stop in and get setup before this weekend begins, weather is supposed to beautiful.

The refreshing smell of wet grass, the racy instagram posts of your friends or girls you know in Cancun, the impending feeling of snowboarding season coming to end…spring is here. Which means Spring Break, St. Patrick’s Day…numerous occasions to find an excuse to slam mimosas, cheap beer, and talk smack about your friends who left to go somewhere warm for a week. Also it means you’re in need of new shoes. Coincidentally, we are having a huge blowout SALE on shoes at the shop. Even if you don’t need new shoes, most of these shoes are going to be half off. Half off equals more money in your pocket for late night pizza, dollar pint night, and paying rent on time.

Our Neat Little Sale Tent

In addition to the plethora (thanks college vocabulary) of shoes we have on sale, we also have jackets, t-shirts, pants, hats and all other sorts of accessories on sale. Think of this as spring cleaning for the shop. We’re trying to move inventory so we can get new product in the store, product you guys tell us you want. Help us to help you. See how that works? Ok, great. Oh and there’s going to be a skate jam soon. Details TBA. There will be a food truck.

We are proud to be a small business. We are proud to be family owned and operated. Snowboarding and Skateboarding aren’t the biggest money making industries. I know that, you know that, we all know that unless you have a sponsorship from some huge multinational corporation with deep pockets. But money isn’t the reason we put in the hours to push snowboarding and skateboarding, and as cliché as it is, we do it because we enjoy it. And no, this isn’t some big sob story about how tough it is running a small business or anything like that, most of you are aware of how tough it is because you most likely work for a local or small company. So you know how appreciative local businesses are when they get new or returning customers.

Small Business Saturday is a day for us, for you, and for the 28 million other small business across America. Think small, shop local, and stick it to the man today. Cheers.

What’s up homies. Dog days of summer are in full effect. Although the weather has been a bit moist, there’s been some days full of sunshine and perfect summer nights. We’re still in the process of setting up an online shop to sell Shop Shirts, Decks and some other stuff so check back in for that. This is a bit late but we do have the Rowley Solos in stock (in Black and Blue) and the new Westgate Mids. We also are restocked on the Herman G6 from Emerica.

Vans new shoe, the Rowley Solos, feature the Vans’ Duracap technology in the toe, Ultra-Cush HD cushioning and the OG Original Waffle outsole. It’s a shoe designed and built for skating.

After Westgate’s last running inspired shoe, Emerica has gone back to a simple Mid with a vulc sole and a stabilizing tongue so that sucker stays in place. Just might be your new favorite Mid.

Stay tuned for updates on the online store and check back for new products, videos, and all that other shit. Cheers and oh, read this article on Jenkem about why you should still shop at and support local skate shops. Because if you don’t, we’ll end up homeless and doing favors for unsavory characters.